Dr. Salim M. AlMalik, Director-General (DG) of the Islamic World Educational, Scientific and Cultural Organization (ICESCO), met with Ms. Mabrouka Toghy Othman, Libyan Minister of Culture and Knowledge Development, in the capital of the Islamic Republic of Mauritania, Nouakchott, following their attendance of the opening ceremony of the celebration of Nouakchott as Culture Capital in the Islamic World for 2023.During the meeting, held on Saturday, January 7, 2023, Dr. AlMalik stated that as part of its new vision and strategic orientations, ICESCO accords priority attention to safeguarding and promoting cultural heritage in the Islamic world.

He added that the Organization exerts tireless efforts to inscribe historical sites and cultural elements on its heritage lists, and build the capacities of heritage professionals in the Islamic world on how to prepare nomination files.

The Director-General also noted that ICESCO has inscribed several Libyan historical sites in its heritage lists and is continuously working with Libyan parties specialized in the fields of education and science to have a better understanding of their needs and priorities aimed at designing suitable programs and activities.

Likewise, the meeting discussed ICESCO’s support for the School of Arts and Traditional Crafts in Tripoli to become a regional hub for promoting and preserving heritage traditional crafts and holding training sessions for heritage professionals in Libya.

For her part, the Libyan minister commended ICESCO’s efforts to support its Member States to safeguard and promote their heritage, noting that the Ministry organized last week a ceremony to celebrate the inscription of some Libyan sites on ICESCO’s Islamic World Heritage List.